Advantage VBM Changelog

What's new in Advantage VBM 2.7.1

Jul 6, 2021

New Features:
When a User opens a Document Version which has an Approval date then the file will be copied to the User's local PC drive before it is opened.
A new Audit function is available to the 'bizadmin' User which generates an Excel exceptions report of Document Versions which have no associated file in the VBM Repositories.
Users can now Quick Find Documents based on a range of Catalog Nos using the < and > operators.
Enhancements:
The Publishing Service now allows a User to stop the current Publishing cycle on startup or deactivate the Publishing function altogether. When deactivated, the Publishing function can be reactivated from the RealFS Options on the File >> Customize VBM menu.
AutoFilters have been added to various Excel reports.
Variant Definitions are now shown on the Favorites List and Package Documents List
Previously some functions were limited when a Category was set to Read-only. Now the User can view Document Properties, History and copy the Code, Title and Certificate to the clipboard.
Copying a Document now prompts with the Title of the original Document and '- Copy' when creating the new Certificate.
The User can now add a Variant Definition while creating a new Variant.
The response time of the Quick Find function has been improved.
Problems Resolved:
Users no longer have permission to edit the profile of a Document in a Category where they have been denied permission to create Documents.
Changing the Author name when importing a new Variant now correctly records the selected User as the Author of the Variant.
Code was changed to capture a document permission given to all groups, all users and all Categories which over-rode other permissions and allowed Users to create documents via the MSO Add-in where permission was already denied.
Incorrect formatting of date information resolved where 1930 translated in code to 2030.
MSO Add-In Login no longer resets the 5 second count-down timer after a new Cell Server is selected.
The Save-As function on MS Office document does not always direct the save away from the RFS Repositories(Note: The Document's CustomProperties.VaultName must point to the correct Vault)
When using the MS Office Save-As function the User is now prompted to select another file name if the file already exists in the target folder with Read-only flag set.
The Print-All function now prints all tagged documents correctly.
Automatic numbering of Variant Definition levels for both Documents and Categories now increments correctly after 9.
. Run the Recent Documents filter now returns only APPROVED or CERT FINAL Versions wherever the Users has ShowApprovedOnly permissions on the Document's Category.

New in Advantage VBM 2.6.0 (Dec 22, 2018)

New in Advantage VBM 2.5.0 (Apr 12, 2018)

New in Advantage VBM 2.4.4.00 (Jul 14, 2017)

New Features:
The VBM Administrator or a User with Doc Controller permissions can now move documents to another Category including the option to re-calculate the Document Code according to the target Category
An option can now be set to prompt a User to save an email to VBM when closing it unless the email has been previously saved to VBM. Choose the VBM tab on the email item and tick option 'Prompt Save on Close'.
Jobs can now be subdivided into Stages. Create Stages for a Job via a new Stages tab which is available when creating or editing a Job. Documents can be created, saved and retrieved based on a Job Stage via drop down list located beneath the Jobs drop down list. The last Stage used for a Job is remembered and selected as default whenever the Job is selected again. A new Stage Code attribute is provided for constructing Certificates and Autonumbering restarts counting for each Stage.
A Document can now be set as Document Zero for a Category and Job. Once set this Document will always appear at the top of the Document List for a Category even if it falls outside a date range Filter. Use Document Zero to permanently expose a Document as a register or key information applying to the Category or Job. Only one Document Zero can be set in a Category per Job.
A User can now select an option from the RealFS options on the main menu File|Customize VBM to either include or not include archived Versions in Document Lists.
Tagging multiple Documents and Send To and Save As using the PDF option, the User can now combine all Documents into a single PDF file using PDFCreator. Tick the option Save Document Files as PDF and enter a combined file name (Note: PDF Creator must be installed on the User's computer). Use Quick Find to manage the combining order of the Documents.
A new Category Permissions Matrix report is available showing User access permissions for each Category
Enhancements:
The time taken to load very large document lists (> 50,000 documents) has been significantly improved
A User can now cancel while creating a Document List reports to Excel
The Hide Categories window now includes a filter to find Categories like the text entered and an option to show hidden Categories only
Moving a Document to another Job now recreates the Document Code
The Office Add-In now includes a facility to send the files as a PDF attachment via the Send To Mail Recipient item on the VBM tab on the ribbon
Copy and Copy Tagged items have been reorganised on the popup menu
Document lists now show the file size in KB, MB and GB for new Document Version
Categories for which a User has been given visibility are indicated with ~ preceding the Collection Name
Users can now add Documents to Favorites from any Biz Group
Selecting an item in a Document List tags the selected item and untags all other items as per Windows Explorer functionality. To tag multiple items click the Tag checkboxes without selecting the items.
A warning prompt is displayed whenever Users are added as members of the bizAdmins Group indicating that the Users will have access to Documents from all Biz Groups via the bizAdmins Group permissions.
VBM Users position titles can now be saved on the Accounts Manager. The position tile is also added to and available from the custom properties of an MS Office document.
SuperUsers can no longer over-ride Biz Group or Category permissions to not create Variants and Versions
History logging now records the following actions:
Moving Documents to another Category
Updating the Classified Users list for a Document
When sending Documents, the Address Book shows only Contacts which have been previously assigned to the current Job. A new checkbox is provided adjacent to the Recipient drop down list to allow Users to add any Contact to the current Job. The Add Contacts button function has changed to New Contact allow Users with the right permissions to create a new Contact
Jobs lists can now be sorted by descending or ascending Job Code, Job Name, Client Name or Date Started by clicking column headers on the Search Jobs window.
The Sync Documents window now contains a new button to open the _VBM SYNC folder and allow Users direct access to synchronized documents. In addition, a shortcut to _VBM SYNC is now created on the User's desktop.
When emailing documents, entering text into the recipient text filter now returns all Contacts matching the text entered from across all External Groups. Select an External Group from the drop down list will return all Contacts from the selected External Group which match the text entered.
Previously the RealFS Templates - Reserved Category was owned by and only visible to the bizAdmins Group. Now the owner of the RealFS Templates - Reserved Category can changed and made visible to any other Biz Group or User.
Previously the Recycled Bin was only visible to members of the bizAdmins Group. Now the Recycle Bin is visible to all Superusers under their SPECIAL MEMBER Biz Group.
Previously for RealFS permissions, a User did not correctly inherit Biz Group permissions when cleared for the User. It was also confusing when these permissions changed each time a User selects another Biz Group. RealFS permissions have now been removed for Biz Groups and apply to Users only.
'Vault Permissions' have been re-titled as 'VBM Permissions' on the Category Browser pop-up menu and the main File menu as they apply to all Vaults in the current VBM Cell. Also, the Vault tab on the Permissions window has been re-titled as VBM Cell as the associated permissions apply to all Vaults in the current VBM Cell.
A Template Variant can now be specified as the default Template for a Category.
When editing a Document's profile, the Code and Title cannot be changed if the Work Status of any Version of any Variant has been set to APPROVED, CERT FINAL or OBSOLETE. The Owner, Author and Office Location of a Variant cannot be changed if the Work Status of any Version of the Variant has been set to APPROVED, CERT FINAL or OBSOLETE. The Date Created and Version Date of a Version cannot be changed if its Work Status has been set to APPROVED or CERT FINAL.
Setting the Work Status of a Variant to Obsolete now sets all Versions of the Variant Obsolete. A SuperUser or Doc Controller can change the Work Status of an Obsolete Variant (including all its Versions) to another Work Status
Document Variants with Work Status of any Version set to OBSOLETE no longer appear by default in Document Lists. Now, use the Document List Filter and check the 'Obsolete' Work Status checkbox on the Details tab to view obsolete Documents.
For file security reasons hyperlinks are no longer provided in the body of an email where Documents are being sent as .pdf attachments
With the MS Outlook add-in, the last selected Category used when saving emails is now remembered as a separate default to email attachments.
Open With now opens an Excel workbook as a new MDI
A Job is automatically activated for a User who is a resource on all Jobs, when the User creates a new Job
Archive Manager has been updated to allow a Job and/or Stage to be selected during the archiving process
User Accounts settings have been reorganised
The VBM application now resizes when using a different size extended monitor
Accounts Manager layout has been re-arranged
Upload Documents function has been enhanced:
External files can now be added to the upload sheet via recursive folders
Set Approved By
Rename and/or move source files after upload
Position titles for VBM Users can now be saved on the Accounts Manager. The position tile is added to and available from the custom properties of an MS Office document.
Problems Resolved:
The Transmittal now wraps the text for long Doc Codes and Titles and adjusts the row height to suit
The Transmittal date is displayed using the local country format
The Job Name and Number are now always displayed correctly on the Transmittal
When retrieving a forgotten password the sent email is now automatically deleted from the Sent Items and Deleted Items folders
In order to overcome denial of permission to write files directly to the C: root folder the Synch folder has now been moved to C:UsersPublicDocuments_VBM SYNC
Activating and de-activating Jobs on the Search Jobs window is now consistent
When selecting the Recycle Bin, the default scope of the Document List Filter applies 'To Entire Catalog'. If the filter contains any keywords and another Category is selected, the scope incorrectly remains as 'To Entire Catalog' and the drop down box disabled. The scope now correctly resets to the default of the selected Category and the drop down box is enabled when changing from the Recycle Bin.
When replying or forwarding emails the Document Code is re-applied each time resulting in the Code appearing multiple times in email Subject and Document Title. If the new Code matches the email Subject then the matching text is removed and the new Code applied to the start of the Subject and Document Title.
The correct Job No and Title now always appear in Transmittals when the Job has been selected via the Job Search facility on RFS Explorer.
Pressing the <CR> key on any of the Document List Filter textboxes now causes the Filter to run correctly.
Custom properties now update correctly for .RTF files.
MSO Add-in now works with Microsoft Office and Outlook 2016.
VBM appears non-responsive when Microsoft Office activates to create a new Office document. During this time Users are able to click the Create button again causing a second Document to be created and the VBM application to crash. The Create button is now disabled while creating Documents.
Document List reports no longer limit the report to 100 items maximum. Previously the screen refreshed at 100 items causing tags to clear on the remaining items and the items were therefore excluded from the report.

New in Advantage VBM 2.4.3.01 (Dec 23, 2016)

New Features:
The VBM Administrator or a User with Doc Controller permissions can now move documents to another Category including the option to re-calculate the Document Code according to the target Category
An option can now be set to prompt a User to save an email to VBM when closing it unless the email has been previously saved to VBM. Choose the VBM tab on the email item and tick option 'Prompt Save on Close'.
Jobs can now be subdivided into Stages. Create Stages for a Job via a new Stages tab which is available when creating or editing a Job. Documents can be created, saved and retrieved based on a Job Stage via drop down list located beneath the Jobs drop down list. The last Stage used for a Job is remembered and selected as default whenever the Job is selected again. A new Stage Code attribute is provided for constructing Certificates and Autonumbering restarts counting for each Stage.
A Document can now be set as Document Zero for a Category and Job. Once set this Document will always appear at the top of the Document List for a Category even if it falls outside a date range Filter. Use Document Zero to permanently expose a Document as a register or key information applying to the Category or Job. Only one Document Zero can be set in a Category per Job.
A User can now select an option from the RealFS options on the main menu File|Customize VBM to either include or not include archived Versions in Document Lists.
Tagging multiple Documents and Send To and Save As using the PDF option, the User can now combine all Documents into a single PDF file using PDFCreator. Tick the option Save Document Files as PDF and enter a combined file name (Note: PDF Creator must be installed on the User's computer). Use Quick Find to manage the combining order of the Documents.
Enhancements:
The time taken to load very large document lists (> 50,000 documents) has been significantly improved
A User can now cancel while creating a Document List reports to Excel
The Hide Categories window now includes a filter to find Categories like the text entered and an option to show hidden Categories only
Moving a Document to another Job now recreates the Document Code
The Office Add-In now includes a facility to send the files as a PDF attachment via the Send To Mail Recipient item on the VBM tab on the ribbon
Copy and Copy Tagged items have been reorganised on the popup menu
Document lists now show the file size in KB, MB and GB for new Document Version
Categories for which a User has been given visibility are indicated with ~ preceding the Collection Name
Users can now add Documents to Favorites from any Biz Group
Selecting an item in a Document List tags the selected item and untags all other items as per Windows Explorer functionality. To tag multiple items click the Tag checkboxes without selecting the items.
A warning prompt is displayed whenever Users are added as members of the bizAdmins Group indicating that the Users will have access to Documents from all Biz Groups via the bizAdmins Group permissions.
VBM Users position titles can now be saved on the Accounts Manager. The position tile is also added to and available from the custom properties of an MS Office document.
SuperUsers can no longer over-ride Biz Group or Category permissions to not create Variants and Versions
History logging now records the following actions:
Moving Documents to another Category
Updating the Classified Users list for a Document
When sending Documents, the Address Book shows only Contacts which have been previously assigned to the current Job. A new checkbox is provided adjacent to the Recipient drop down list to allow Users to add any Contact to the current Job. The Add Contacts button function has changed to New Contact allow Users with the right permissions to create a new Contact
Jobs lists can now be sorted by descending or ascending Job Code, Job Name, Client Name or Date Started by clicking column headers on the Search Jobs window.
The Sync Documents window now contains a new button to open the _VBM SYNC folder and allow Users direct access to synchronized documents. In addition, a shortcut to _VBM SYNC is now created on the User's desktop.
When emailing documents, entering text into the recipient text filter now returns all Contacts matching the text entered from across all External Groups. Select an External Group from the drop down list will return all Contacts from the selected External Group which match the text entered.
Previously the RealFS Templates - Reserved Category was owned by and only visible to the bizAdmins Group. Now the owner of the RealFS Templates - Reserved Category can changed and made visible to any other Biz Group or User.
Previously the Recycled Bin was only visible to members of the bizAdmins Group. Now the Recycle Bin is visible to all Superusers under their SPECIAL MEMBER Biz Group.
Previously for RealFS permissions, a User did not correctly inherit Biz Group permissions when cleared for the User. It was also confusing when these permissions changed each time a User selects another Biz Group. RealFS permissions have now been removed for Biz Groups and apply to Users only.
'Vault Permissions' have been re-titled as 'VBM Permissions' on the Category Browser pop-up menu and the main File menu as they apply to all Vaults in the current VBM Cell. Also, the Vault tab on the Permissions window has been re-titled as VBM Cell as the associated permissions apply to all Vaults in the current VBM Cell.
A Template Variant can now be specified as the default Template for a Category.
When editing a Document's profile, the Code and Title cannot be changed if the Work Status of any Version of any Variant has been set to APPROVED, CERT FINAL or OBSOLETE. The Owner, Author and Office Location of a Variant cannot be changed if the Work Status of any Version of the Variant has been set to APPROVED, CERT FINAL or OBSOLETE. The Date Created and Version Date of a Version cannot be changed if its Work Status has been set to APPROVED or CERT FINAL.
Problems Resolved:
The Transmittal now wraps the text for long Doc Codes and Titles and adjusts the row height to suit
The Transmittal date is displayed using the local country format
The Job Name and Number are now always displayed correctly on the Transmittal
When retrieving a forgotten password the sent email is now automatically deleted from the Sent Items and Deleted Items folders
In order to overcome denial of permission to write files directly to the C: root folder the Synch folder has now been moved to C:UsersPublicDocuments_VBM SYNC
Activating and de-activating Jobs on the Search Jobs window is now consistent
When selecting the Recycle Bin, the default scope of the Document List Filter applies 'To Entire Catalog'. If the filter contains any keywords and another Category is selected, the scope incorrectly remains as 'To Entire Catalog' and the drop down box disabled. The scope now correctly resets to the default of the selected Category and the drop down box is enabled when changing from the Recycle Bin.
When replying or forwarding emails the Document Code is re-applied each time resulting in the Code appearing multiple times in email Subject and Document Title. If the new Code matches the email Subject then the matching text is removed and the new Code applied to the start of the Subject and Document Title.
The correct Job No and Title now always appear in Transmittals when the Job has been selected via the Job Search facility on RFS Explorer.
Pressing the key on any of the Document List Filter textboxes now causes the Filter to run correctly.
Known Features:
Can't drag and drop an email into VBM from the Outlook Advanced Find window. Programmer access to the Outlook Advance Find window is restricted by Microsoft Corp.
The incorrect author is sometimes selected when importing a document into another server's Vault
Importing an Outlook Read receipt doesn't retrieve the sender's name. This is an access restriction placed on Outlook by Microsoft Corp
External Contact is not available when changing BIZ Group when creating Documents
PDFCreator:
Graphic files are not converted to PDF
Hyperlinks are not converted
Versions of Template Documents must have the same file type although new Versions can be created as Office 2007 or macro enabled file type (eg .doc -> .docx or .docm). Variants of a Template Document should also be of the same file type.
Overwrite document doesn't work if Repository FOLDER X doesn't exist. This should not occur if the VBM installation is installed correctly
Can't update MS Publisher custom properties or fields
Error compacting Access database when closing VBM while the Office Add-in is still active
Can't drag-n-drop image files from an email onto a multi-image document
Can't open a .docx from the RFS Browser when creating a new Variant or Version for Word. Other Office apps are ok
VBM cannot update properties of Office documents which are password protected

New in Advantage VBM 2.3.2 (Apr 16, 2015)

New Features:
Synchronization - Sometimes it is necessary to set a hyperlink in an MS Office document to an RFS Document however the hyperlink is broken when a new Version of the RFS Document is created. Users can now synchronise RFS Documents to their C:\ drive as either native file format or as .PDF format in order to create lasting hyperlinks. Synchronisation can be set up per Document for a User or All Users (select Synch Documents from the Document List pop-up menu), or all for Documents in a selected Category for a User or All Users (select Synch Category from the Category Browser pop-up menu). A User can enable or disable synchronization from the RealFS options on the main menu File|Customize VBM.
Document list column positions and widths can now be remembered when a User closes VBM. The User's preference is restored when VBM is re-started again. The User can activate or deactivate this feature from the RealFS options on the main menu File|Customize VBM.
The VBM Administrator can now edit a User's Login Name.
Enhancements:
Users can now enter text when combo lists are dropped down in order to fast select an item in the list. The item will be selected in the drop down list which matches the text as it is entered.
Users can now set the Security as LOCKED or UNLOCKED for multiple tagged Document Versions.
Uses can now update the WORK STATUS of multiple tagged Document Versions on the Documents tab.
Users can now select another VBM User or an external Contact as the approver of a Document Version from a drop down list when setting the Work Status to APPROVED or CERT FINAL.
Users can now copy multiple tagged Document files onto the clipboard as either native format or .PDF format from the pop-up menu click Copy >> Document File (as PDF).
Users can now copy a shortcut link to the clipboard of synchronized Documents including the latest APPROVED native file and the latest APPROVED .PDF file. From the Document List pop-up menu click Copy >> Shortcut Link To >> Synch Latest Approved or Synch Latest Approved (PDF).
The User is now prompted to make a Job inactive for all Users when the Job is closed.
Sometimes all Documents in a Category are not related to a Job. An option can now be set for Category to restricted Documents to be created in "All Jobs" only.
The Permissions window now appears when creating a new Biz Group
The 'bizadmin' User can now update the Office properties of an APPROVED Document
New reports are now available on the Accounts Manager to
list each User's Biz Group memberships
list each Biz Group's members
Problems Resolved:
Running a report from the Reports menu creates an Excel spreadsheet which is minimised. Excel reports now display full screen when run.
The fatal error which occurs when changing Vaults on the Create New Variant and Create New Version windows has been resolved.
Create a new Version now correctly clears the Approval Date from the custom properties in an MS Office document.
bizadmin can now update the Office properties of an APPROVED Document
Excel now takes focus after creating an Excel report

New in Advantage VBM 2.2.1 (Jun 23, 2014)

New in Advantage VBM 2.2.0 (Mar 29, 2014)

New in Advantage VBM 2.0.0 (May 30, 2012)

New Features:
Users can now create Multi-Image Documents
Buttons are now provided on the Quick Access toolbar and selections on the File|New menu to
create new Jobs
create new Documents including Notepad, Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook Message, Relational Document, Multi-Image Document, WebLink Document or an RFS Template
Buttons are now provided on the Quick Access toolbar to:
edit a Document’s profile
view a Document’s properties and history
Buttons are now provided on the Quick Access toolbar to:
create or remove User accounts
create new Biz Groups
Buttons are now provided on the Quick Access toolbar to:
create, edit and remove Contacts and
create External Groups
A User can customise the new buttons on their Quick Access toolbar
Up/Down buttons are now provided on the RealFS Explorer Packages tab for a User to arrange the list order of documents in a Package
A new Views menu on the main menu allows Users to switch between RealFS Explorer, Relational Documents View and Relational Categories View
Click on any Easy Step help icon will now activate the associated VBM Help Guide topic
Quick Tips are now available as an option whenever VBM starts or on demand
Provision is now made for Registered companies to renew their annual maintenance agreement from the main Help menu Help|Renew Maintenance
Provision is now made for Resellers to update their contact information during VBM setup so that if providing support services to their Customers they can be the first point of contact for all enquiries and support requests
Enhancements:
The User can now include a Sender’s Note with a Transmittal
Vault permissions and RealFS permissions are now available from a single window
Users can now cancel while a Document List is being retrieved
Microsoft Office 2010 Documents are now converted to .pdf format using the inbuilt Office PDF converter instead of PDFCreator. PDFCreator is still needed to convert Outlook emails and other file types to .pdf.
The On-line Help Guide has been upgraded to HTML Help for compatibility with Windows 7
To allow user roaming on a network, the VBM.ini file is now deployed in the user’s shell folder ‘CSIDL_APPDATA \CYI\Advantage VBM’.
The Background Graphic and Excel report logo can be customised during initial VBM setup. The Background Graphic and Excel report logo can still be changed from File|Customize VBM.
The Transmittal Template logo and street address can now be customised during initial VBM setup. The Template can still be changed from by creating another Variant or Version in the ‘RealFS Templates – Reserved’ category found under 'bizAdmins' Biz Group.